March 2, 1940
Deuil, France
Helmut Wolf was sitting with his feet up on his desk, reading a newspaper and enjoying a cup of coffee. He had planned for a day of ease and relaxation and had even gone so far as to remove his jacket and boots. So it was with a little annoyance that he noticed Nagel stepping into the office and closing the door behind him. Putting the paper down, Helmut fixed a stare on Nagel and asked, "What is it?"
Nagel, somewhat taken aback by the sight of Helmut out of proper uniform, responded slowly, "Sir, Standartenfuhrer Seiler is outside. He says that he needs to speak to you right away."
With an oath, Helmut jumped to his feet and began to pull his boots on. As he turned to grab his jacket he muttered, "What the hell is he doing here unannounced?"
"I don't know, sir. Shall I ask?"
Spinning back toward Nagel, Helmut began to button up the jacket and responded, "I wasn't talking to you, Nagel! Just get out there and stall for a minute. Ask him he wants anything."
Nagel clicked his heels together and exited the office. He was apparently very good at stall tactics as it was several minutes before Standartenfuhrer Seiler entered the office, by which time Helmut was properly dressed and fully composed. Helmut brought the heels of his boots together and snapped his right arm out in salute as the commanding officer of the 2nd SS Shutzen Regiment came to a stop in front of him. After the obligatory greeting of "Heil Hitler" was exchanged, the two men sat and Helmut asked, "What brings you to Deuil, sir?"
Seiler smiled across the desk at Helmut and responded, "A matter of some import, actually. Can I assume that you are aware of the nasty business up around Argentan?"
Helmut thought about it for a moment and slowly began to nod his head. To the Standartenfuhrer he said, "To my understanding, there has been some partisan activity up there. Damaging railroads, attacking supply dumps and such. Nuisance type stuff."
Seiler nodded, "You are mostly correct. However, the activity there has recently grown to include ambushing patrols as well. In addition, pamphlets and graffiti have begun to appear in support of the so called 'Free French' government in London."
Helmut frowned, "I see. It's obvious that some sort of organized resistance cell is at work in that area. Quick action is necessary before it grows too large."
Seiler nodded again, "Our friends in the RHSA are of the same opinion. In fact, they recently undertook an operation to capture the heads of this resistance group."
"Was it successful?", Helmut asked.
"It was, very much so. A dozen resistance members were captured, among them the ringleaders of the group.", came the response.
Helmut took in the information and asked in confusion, "Good news, but then what does any of this have to do with me?"
Seiler responded, "It goes without saying that these are very important prisoners, Wolf. Inside their heads are the secrets of the whole Free French movement. Future plans, the location of other cells, names of other members, as well as the identities of any foreign agents they are in contact with are just some of the things they can tell us. That being said, the prisoners are being moved under guard to Paris for interrogation. They will set out from Argentan on the fifth and arrive in Deuil on the sixth. After a brief stay, they will move on to Paris under the cover of night. You will need to make sure that all the proper security precautions are in place. It is reasonable to assume that their associates will attempt to free them if they are able. Great care has been taken to keep the route secret, but I find it best to over cautious about such matters. I trust that you can handle this?"
Helmut nodded, "I can, sir. You can leave everything to me."
Seiler smiled, "Good to hear. Now Wolf, there is a related matter that I wanted to run by you."
"What is it, sir?"
"As I said, these prisoners could be the key to uncovering resistance cells all over the occupied region. I would very much like to find out if any such cells are active in this region, and I would like to find out sooner than I would if I had to wait for the official report from the RHSA."
Helmut frowned and regarded the Standartenfuhrer closely. After a moment, and with a strong suspicion that he already knew the answer, he asked, "That would be optimal sir, but how do you plan to accomplish this?"
"Wolf, I have studied your file very closely. You are a very interesting study, do you know that?"
Helmut shifted in his seat uncomfortably but offered no response as Seiler continued, "It seems to me that a man of your talents should be able to coax some information from the prisoners before they move on. This I would like you to do. Find out from them whatever you can about their operations in this area, if any. Feel free to use any means at your disposal short of actually killing anyone."
The last part of the sentence was delivered as if a joke, but Helmut did not laugh. Instead, he stared grimly at Seiler and offered no comment. Only a slight nod of the head showed his acceptance of the order. Satisfied, Seiler got to his feet and after exchanging salutes with Helmut left the office. Helmut went to the window and watched as he climbed into a staff car and drove off. Feeling a sense of disquiet that he could not explain, Helmut slowly walked to the door and opened it to find Nagel behind his desk as was usual. Seeing Helmut in the doorway, Nagel got to his feet and asked, "How did the meeting go, sir?"
Fighting to keep his face and tone neutral, Helmut turned to him and responded, "Fine. Get all of the company officers here and do it fast."
Without waiting for Nagel to respond, Helmut turned and firmly shut the door behind him. Going back to his desk, he sat down to wait for the arrival of his officers. Looking upward, past the ceiling, he muttered, "You just keep piling it on, don't you?"
